11
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1994
IT
MADE ME SAY THE FOLLOWING, FIRST WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY LET CLEAR TO CHINESE OFFICIALS INCLUDING ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CIVIL SERVICE TRANSITION THROUGH 1997. I FIRST RAISED THE QUESTION WITH DIRECTOR LU WHEN I WENT TO SEE HIM IN PEKING IN OCTOBER, 1992. AT THE SAME TIME THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL RECALL WE PROPOSED SETTING UP A COURSE AT
UNIVERSITY FOR SENIOR QINGHUA
CIVIL SERVANTS. THAT'S NOW BEEN
TWO ESTABLISHED,
GROUPS OF CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT. THIRD WILL SHORTLY GO THROUGH IT. IT'S BEEN A SUCCESS. WE ARE
THINGS SERVANTS FROM CHINA COMING AND SEEING HOW WE DO ON CIVIL HONG KONG AND SENDING CIVIL SERVANTS FROM HONG KONG INTO CHINA TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE DONE THERE. WE'RE INCREASING TRAINING IN PUTONGHUA
LINGUISTIC SKILLS OUR CIVIL SERVICE SO'S TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE
TALK WE WOULD LIKE TO THAT ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED FOR THE FUTURE. ABOUT DOING MORE WITH OUR CHINESE INTERLOCUTORS.
A
KEEN
IN
IN
THAT BUT
DIRECTOR SECONDLY, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT AT ALL THAT WHEN
IMPORTANT LU AND SOME OF HIS SENIOR COLLEAGUES SAY THEY RECOGNISE THE
SERVICE AND THAT ROLE OF THE CIVIL
THEY WANT THE BEST MOST MERITOCRATIC CIVIL SERVICE THROUGH 1997, I HAVE NO DOUBT AT ALL DIRECTOR LU AND SOME OF HIS SENIOR ASSOCIATES ARE TALKING NOTHING THE TRUTH. I THINK THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT. I THINK THAT OCCASIONALLY HOWEVER THINGS HAVE BEEN SAID BY OTHERS INCLUDING SOME WHO PURPORT ADVISE
CIVIL WHICH HAVEN'T BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN ENCOURAGING THEM, SERVANTS TO THINK THAT THE TRANSITION WILL BE SMOOTH AND THE OPERATING STYLE WILL BE THE SAME AFTER 1997. BUT I DO HOPE THAT WE CAN FIND TOGETHER MORE WAYS OF DISCUSSING THESE ISSUE AND MORE WAYS OF WORKING ON THESE ISSUES.
WE
ΤΟ
A
I'VE SAID ON MANY PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, BECAUSE AS
HAVEN'T DOESN'T BEEN ABLE TO AGREE ON POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG, IT
WE HAD MEAN THAT WE CAN'T AGREE ON AS MANY OTHER THINGS AS POSSIBLE. TODAY FOR EXAMPLE A MEETING OF THE LAND COMMISSION INVOLVING OF COURSE
CIVIL HONG KONG
SERVANTS WHICH REACHED I THINK VERY SATISFACTORY
IN CONCLUSIONS. IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO BUSINESS AND TO CO-OPERATE
WHERE SENSIBLE WAY IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG AND THERE IS NO AREA
AND HELPING TO IMPORTANT TO DO THIS THAN IN DISCUSSING IT'S MORE
REAL WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN PROTECT THE FUTURE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.
IN SETTING AND ANXIETIES
WE COULD CONTRIBUTE, FOR EXAMPLE,
SERVANTS, SEVEN AND A HALF BILLION PENSION FUND FOR CIVIL ACTED OURSELVES. I'M SURE THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS RECOGNISE THAT HAVE TO ACT TOO.
MRS
THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. GOVERNOR
REMARKED, I'LL QUOTE
IN HIS HIS
INTRODUCTORY
UP
THE
WE
HAVE
THEY
REMARKS ELSIE TU: TODAY
WORDS, THE
"ARRANGEMENTS SINCE THE GOVERNOR'S ANNOUNCED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IN 1992", ELECTORAL PROPOSALS WERE MADE ON 7 OCTOBER, 1992, WITHOUT CONSULTATION
WOULD WITH EITHER THE OUTGOING OR INCOMING EXECUTIVE COUNCILS, GOVERNOR BE PREPARED TO TELL US WHERE THOSE PROPOSALS ORIGINATED WHAT
HE MEANT WHEN HE CALLED THEM "ARRANGEMENTS GOVERNMENT IN 1992"?
THE
AND
BY ANNOUNCED
THE
I
GOVERNOR: WELL, I'M SURE THE HONOURABLE LADY WILL RECALL THAT WHEN CAME TO HONG KONG I HAD A WIDE RANGE OF DISCUSSIONS WITH POLITICAL GROUPS AND OTHERS AND THE PROPOSALS THAT WERE PUT TO THIS COUNCIL THE AUTUMN OF 1992 WERE THE RESULT OF THOSE WIDE RANGING DISCUSSIONS.
IN
/I THINK